Business Building, UTSA 1604 Campus
UTSA College of Business creates online writing laboratory
(May 19, 2003)--The new Online Writing Laboratory (OWL) was created by the College of Business to better instruct, evaluate and assist business students with their writing skills. Developed by Anita Leffel, lecturer in the Department of Management, the lab is being used by students in the MGT 3043 Business Communications courses.
"One of the most important skills a student should possess is sound business writing," said Leffel, who began working on the project last September. "We want to prepare our students for jobs in business."
The 450 students in those courses will be required to visit the online site and complete four assessments in the areas of composition, mechanics, writing style and creative thinking.
Students who score 80 percent or better on each section will then receive a certificate of completion. But, any student who scores less than 80 percent will need to complete the necessary learning modules and retest at the end of the semester.
"We chose the online approach because it provided a more flexible option for students. It also encourages students to improve their skills utilizing technology," Leffel said.
OWL provides not only a WebCT-based online lab, but also a physical presence. Graduate students Amy Browning and Erik Byrd, who helped develop the lab, will also provide group tutoring and technical support assistance to students on campus.
The College of Business team also received technical assistance from LaVonne Grandy and Maria Popsecu in the Center for Distance Learning and Academic Technology in designing the lab interface.
The OWL laboratory physically resembles a school campus. When students enter the site, they first see a little red schoolhouse. Once inside they can choose to visit a study hall, the library or a game room in addition to their learning modules areas.
"We hope students see this as an opportunity to improve their writing skills," said Leffel. "Once this pilot is completed, we will review the data and look at ways to improve the lab and possibly expand this concept to other business courses."
Visit the UTSA College of Business Department of Management Web site.
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